So I am registering for my classes at my community college for the fall 2021 semester and my college has started to make the push to face to face classrooms since May 24. My college has offered online classes as a different method since forever and then of course, there’s remote learning since the beginning of COVID. However, I want to ask: what’s the difference?!
In my experience, during an online course. you may not ever see the professor. The professor provides assignments and reading materials, grades work, and occasionally comments or guides on the discussion board.
Remote classes tend to be filmed versions of an in-person class, with a lecture video. It may have a discussion board as well, and assignments are given online, so in those ways it resembles an online class. However some remote classes, if small enough, might allow for some Zoom discussion and certainly a chat.
Again, my experience, so others may have different ones.
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Expanding on the above comment @compmom :
Remote classes may also meet online via zoom or some other online platform at fixed times during the week. The sessions are usually live with the instructor. That’s how our university does remote classes. Our online classes are similar to what is described above.
Your colleges registrar’s page should outline these details, because the definitions may not be the same everywhere.
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During COVID, for schools with students in different time zones, remote classes may have been live but had to offer asynchronous options. So the lectures were recorded and posted. And alternatives to live discussion were provided so that students could “participate,” mainly through a Canvas discussion board.
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Yes, there are multiple variations of remote classes. OP was planning to register at a CC, so most likely it will be live session online. But they should check the school website to see details.
Community colleges and regional universities usually require live online sessions for their remote courses, which are also recorded. We have contracts with specified contact hours for classes. Hardly any students are from outside the local time zone and they can watch the recordings if they are.
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The problem for those outside the time zone is the “participation” grade, so substituting comments on the discussion board for participation in discussion on Zoom works 
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Yes! I did contact my school’s advising on more information. They gave me a pictograph that told the difference. It looks like @compmom may be close in describing how online classes work. My school defines it as “flexible” online classes, which means that the professor and students may meet that first day of classes. The professor talks about expectations, deadlines, etc and then will leave us to the rest of our devices. Especially since the specific meeting times aren’t posted.